South Whidbey vocalist Nancy Nolan a semifinalist for jazz gig in Kobe, Japan

The talented Nancy Nolan will be performing at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle this evening. Nancy is a semifinalist in the Eighth Annual Sister City Female Jazz Vocalist Audition. As a program of the Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association (SKSCA), one high school and one adult female jazz vocalist will be selected from the 11 semifinalists. The two winners will travel to Japan to perform at the Kobe Jazz Queen Vocalist Contest on May 6, 2012. Last year’s winners were Jacqueline Tabor and Kelila Gottlieb. As a part of the reciprocity program, the winner of the Kobe Jazz Queen Contest travels to Seattle each fall to make her US debut at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley.

Japanese Consul General Kiyokazu Ota and Seattle Depty Mayor Darryl Smith will greet the crowd this evening, and last year’s two winners will speak about their experiences performing in Kobe in 2011, in addition to performing. Reservations may be made by contacting Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley.